It's good to see that crying is finally receiving some recognition in the design world, even though the fabulous German shop, Design 3000, lists the ThenCrypillow as a "First Aid" product! What better "treatment" for crying than the warmth of a cozy pillow that dispenses tissues.

If you have visiting cats, raccoons, squirrels, rats and other neighbors entering your home through your cat door, you may soon be relieved of their uninvited calls. A veterinarian on the Channel Islands, David Chamberland, has invented a "bouncer" cat door. Say the secret word, or I'll send you to the moon buster!

Birds are naturally curious, have the need to explore, and the instinct to hunt and forage for their food. Nature's Instincts, a company that creates toys for pets that satisty their natural instincts, has designed a number of fun, fantastic toys for pet birds that challenge them and match their curiosity and instincts for fun and mischief too. See the birds enjoying their challenges on video here...

Brodie Neill is the Jaguar of furniture design. He's also hot. Now in London, the Australian designer has built a brand. a mark every bit as recognizable as a fine sports car. Coincidentally, like Jaguar, Brodie Neill's designs are smooth, shiny, and very, very sensual.

Is it every chemist's secret dream to become a chef? Think about the benefits. Virtually unlimited ingredients, immediate feedback, safer work environment, fewer deaths, fewer law suits... Chefs are chemists, and though their creations may not lead to patents, they are inventions. This year Time Magazine has recognized one chef's work as a Best Invention of 2008: Heston Blumenthal's Sound Enhanced Food.

Yes, you can design a Swiss chalet for your St. Bernard and have it built to your specifications. Your dog or cat can have his own house, excuse me, his own Pet Mansion, that's the spitting image of your home. The only thing is... no sub-prime mortgages on the Pet Mansions.

Clever Milanese designer Tommaso Colia has made a definitive "Spaghetti Gadget" for measuring pasta. It's not a scale; the Spaghetti Gadget weighs your dry spaghetti on the basis of how much space it takes up.